Maputo, 10 Sep AIM) – Pemba City Judicial Court, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, has ordered the return of working tools belonging to the investigative journalist Estácio Valoi.
The journalist, who works for the portal “MOZ24h”, had his electronic equipment (including mobile phones, computers and tablets) seized last June, following a warrant issued by the same Court, while he was investigating an alleged attempt to export 111 containers of timber through the Port of Beira, in central Mozambique.”
According to the Court order, cited by the Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom body MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa), the measure was revoked after “the proceedings that justified the seizure of the equipment were concluded.”
The document points out that the seizure was linked to “a journalistic investigation into alleged environmental crimes and timber smuggling involving a Lebanese businessman.”
However, according to MISA, the prolonged seizure of professional tools had a “negative” impact to journalistic work, therefore “there is a need to safeguard press freedom and freedom of expression, the right to information, and the confidentiality of sources and investigative materials.”
At the time, when the material was seized, the country’s Network of Human Rights Defenders (RMDDH) demanded “clarification of the allegations concerning the elimination of journalistic content and information during the execution of the search warrant.”
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